Patriotism Noted And Appreciated

I consider it an honor to serve in the United States military. No one has a right to serve this country in our armed forces, this is reserved as a priviledge, it is with great pride that I wear the uniform of an army soldier. I started as an infantry soldier in the Nebraska Army National Guard more than 13 years ago, now I'm a semi truck driver.

Recently we went on a 5 day mission to drive trailers to Missouri. On the way down I saw a lot of waving and got a lot of thanks for what we do, which is nice. Ignorant people tend to see us in uniform and fail to make a distinction as to what our actual purpose is. What we do is a job that isn't always popular, but the job is put there by our government, not by us, so the job must be done. It seems like so often it's actors and musicians that tend to promote this ignorant stupidity, which is unfortunate. By their very position as role models it would be nice if they were to really research something before condemning, but I guess it's easier to open your big mouth and just start barking than it is to really be smart and look into something. "They say the empty can rattles the most..." as Metallica would say, and so often that phrase can be used to explain people.

But honestly for the most part, everyday people I meet don't hesitate to walk up and shake my hand or say hello, and ask about what we do, and say how much it means to them that we are doing what we do, regardless of what it may be. Putting on this uniform is like putting on more than 250 years of history, regardless of what I do I represent the United States Army, and I coordinate my actions accordingly.

You see, it's easy for someone to sit back and bad mouth the military, we do a job you don't want to do. Just remember that the job we do is what allows you to have the opinion you have, and to live with certain unalienable rights that so many of you take for granted. Perhaps this is something a lot of people need to think about before they start the rhetoric about 'military spending' and such.

Roads Built By Invalids

I enjoy driving. I do not enjoy running into crappy roads with construction everywhere. Nebraska has to have the worst roads of any of the 50 states. In fact, I would say that they are so bad, that just on the basis of road condition alone Nebraska qualifies as a third world country. It really wouldn't surprise me to learn that there are more miles of road under construction in Nebraska than miles of road not being worked on. There are now more orange construction cones around Nebraska than there are people living here.

Our roads are the laughing stock of the nation. The leading truck fleet magazine, Heavy Duty Trucking, has consistently rated Nebraska at the bottom of two categories, year after year, Road Quality and Road Department Quality. Road Quality refers to the actual condition of the road itself, this past year Nebraska placed 49th on overall road quality, just ahead of South Dakota. But there is no stopping our road department, which placed dead last, at 50th place. With such excellence in road construction, you can bet that road quality will also achieve the same outstanding performance and surpass South Dakota sometime soon for last place. Even the advertisements in Heavy Duty Trucking poke fun at Nebraska, mainly I-80, our lone interstate, and it's endless supply of potholes and shoddy maintenance. One tire manufacturer put it like this "You best have the highest quality tires possible in western Nebraska on Interstate 80". You know it's bad when they make fun of you to make money.

Probably the most ridiculous aspect of this is that the worst sections of I-80 are the newest sections. They spent umpteen millions of dollars putting in brand new cement sections of road on the interstate in western Nebraska, and for some reason the drunken state workers put in expansion cracks in the cement that are more like speed bumps. It's sure a great time driving along with the continual THUD THUD THUD THUD for about 70 miles, I guess on the bright side, there is no chance in hell you would ever fall asleep. Chiropractor anyone? You will need a good one after a cross state journey here.

If a road project is supposed to be completed in a certain amount of time, like NORMAL projects, you can bet that it will take twice as long in Nebraska, at least, and go waayyyyyyyyyy overbudget. Not only that, but by the time they finish the road they are working on, it's usually outdated and already needing more work just to get it up to speed. Nebraska's road department slogan goes as follows: "Building Yesterday's Roads Today, And Not Getting Them Done Till Tomorrow".

Driving violation fines are doubled in construction zones in Nebraska. Yet there is no governing body that seems to keep track of what is or is not considered a construction zone. Seems that any joe smoe state worker can put up an orange construction sign, and they do. You will find areas where 50 miles or more is considered a "construction zone" and yet they are only working on 500 foot of road at a time, talk about a misuse of intended purpose for a law. It can be the middle of the night on a Sunday with not a construction worker in site, on a road that has no evidence of construction at all, no machinery, no cones, just a little 12" by 4" orange sign under the speed limit sign, but you get pulled over for going 10 mph above the posted limit, and you are hit with a 220 dollar fine. I'd like to know the wisdom behind that. I guess they have to come up with some way to pay for these projects that aren't getting done, right?

I don't want to be completely negative about Nebraska's roads though, that wouldn't be fair, there is some good to all of this. When I've been out of state for awhile, and the smooth roads of Iowa or Kansas suddenly turn bumpy and everything falls off my dash and my soda falls out of my cup holder, and I see the friendly orange cones lining up along side the road like parade spectators, I can smile because I know I'm back in Nebraska, and how nice it is to be home. Perhaps they can add mechanical arms to the cones that wave hello to me and a painted on smiley face to welcome me home? Also, I'm certain that suspension and alignment repair shops make bookoo bucks in Nebraska doing repairs on vehicles damaged by our horrible roads, just an example of our roads department promoting local industry around the state, how helpful of them!!!

All in all this probably won't change any time soon, unless somehow every person in upper management within Nebraska's roads department is fired immediately. Someone call the Governor, maybe he has some unknown authority to do this? God I hope so, my back hurts...

Favorite Movies

I figured today I would put up a few of my favorite movies, and why I like them. These are in no particular order as far as what I like best, just a few that I find to be good viewing material.

Heat

Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, together, in one movie. That says a lot right there. Bank robberies, massive shootouts, explosions... add Val Kilmer in, along with several others making powerful contributions, and this movie packs a powerful dramatic punch, from beginning to end. DeNiro and Pacino play opposite one another, one a good guy, the other the bad guy, and it's hard to pull for one guy or the other, even at the end of the movie, you want the show to keep on going.

Hunt For Red October

This movie is based on a book by Tom Clancy, one of my favorite authors. Alec Baldwin plays Jack Ryan, CIA analyst turned field agent, who is responsible for trying to make contact with Captain Rameus (Sean Connery), who has stolen a Soviet ballistic missile submarine and disappeared into the depths of the Atlantic ocean, with no one knowing what motives Rameus has. I enjoy movies that get into the technical side of the military, from equipment to doctrine. This movie is just that, along with exciting twists and turns that keep you guessing right until the very end.

Tombstone

The best western movie of all time, regardless of whether or not it follows the true story or not, hell, call it a fiction movie for all I care, it is hands down the best western ever made. Based on Wyatt Earp's move to Tombstone, Arizona, where Earp was to start a new life with his two brothers, but gets drawn into skirmishes with the "Cowboy's", a gang of renegades who persist in law breaking and killing. Kurt Russel does a masterful job portraying Wyatt Earp, but it's Val Kilmer's role as Doc Holiday, a super fast gunslinger stricken with tuberculosis, that steals the show. With dead pan humor and incredible intensity, Kilmer pulls off arguably the best performance of his acting career in this movie. Star studded, loaded with gun battles, love stories, and fast paced action, Tombstone brings the old west alive with vigor.

Cutting Edge

I have always loved this movie, and after seeing this movie for the first time I have always really liked Moira Kelly as an actress. She plays a bitchy figures skater, who overworks and mistreats her partners till they always quit on her. D.B. Sweeny plays a young phenom hockey player who loses part of his vision and his dream to play in the NHL due to a horrible collision during an olympic game. Sweeny and Kelly end up together, and despite rough edges and mutual mistreatment towards one another, they end up working out thier differences, win the elusive olympic gold, and even fall in love by the end of the show. Cheesy? Yes... but still fun and worth watching, a fun little romantic comedy.

Boyz In The Hood

This movie is a powerful portrayal of the lives of several young black men in central Los Angelos, following them as they grow up on the streets, thru trials and tragedy as they try and make something of themselves in life, on the way to becoming men, and sometimes losing thier lives. John Singleton's directing debut is an amazing achievement, a deep glimpse into a culture that many of us can only imagine. Dramatic, deeply sad, this movie really changed some of my ideas about what goes on in the worst parts of the big city.

The Usual Suspects

Everyone on a burning tanker is murdered and a multi million dollar heist has taken place, and only a semi handicapped petty crook (Kevin Spacey), seems to have any idea of what has happened. Terrific performances from everyone involved in this film, along with a humorous twisting plot that has a shocking ending, it's one of those movies that just blows your mind at the very end when everything suddenly makes sense.

The Matrix

I saw this movie having heard nothing about it, and was totally blown away. The special effects were far and away the best I had seen in any movie, and the action just kept on coming. The script provided the best movie I had seen in five years, with incredible performances by all involved. Keanu Reeves plays Neo, a computer hacker with a special gift. Normally I can't stand Reeves and his dumb surfer dude attitude, but for this movie, it worked perfectly and he really did an amazing job. The performance that really made the show however was Hugo Weaving as "Agent Smith", a government operative who will stop at nothing to capture the illusive "Morpheus", played by Lawrence Fishburn. Basically, this movie changed how all movies are being made, based on new techniques in photography and computer sequences, and it's well worth it to watch it over and over.

American Beauty

My mom absolutely hated this movie, so I knew it had to be really good. Oddly enough my dad just loved it. Kevin Spacey plays a man who suddenly realizes his life sucks, so he gets fired, buys a classic muscle car, starts chasing his daughter's best friend around, smokes pot, gets a job at a fast food restaurant, catches his wife cheating on him, has a mixed up ex marine neighbor who thinks he is gay, oh, I could go on and on, it's a truly messed up funny movie, but there are some really deep themes trolling around under the surface that make the movie much more dramatic than one might think. Spacey is amazing in this movie, as is Annette Benning, who plays Spacey's controlling, career driven wife, who is out of control in her own way. There are a lot of amazingly funny moments in this movie but also enough drama to keep it deep.

Seven

Someone is using the "seven deadly sins" to commit murders, and two police detectives (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt), have to try and stop him before it's too late. The movie is a dark and eerie take on police work in the most gruesome types of crime imaginable, ending up with a completely shocking ending. Again, Kevin Spacey completely nails a role, this time as the psychotic mastermind behind the murders. The movie has one of those endings that has everyone leaving the theater in complete shock, no one even talking. If you are able to figure out what has happened at the end before the movie actually lets you in on it, you still sit in complete disbelief that what you know is going to happen can even be true. Disturbing and shocking, this movie is truly an amazing mix of the two.

Fallen

Denzel Washington plays a police detective who is targeted by an ancient evil demon that is determined to bring him down and ruin him. It becomes a chess game of the mind as Washington goes toe to toe with the demon, ending up in a final showdown that will totally piss you off yet make you chuckle. Washington does his usual amazing performance in this role as the good cop, and John Goodman adds a surprisingly good performance as his detective partner. The movie digs deep into the dark side of religion and keeps you on the edge of your seat, tragic but fun.

I hope someday to have all of these on DVD, plus others I'm sure.